A new start for Banding Together

For those who don't know me (it's been a while!), my name is Dave Townsend and I originally founded Banding Together back in 2009. Over that time this forum, plus the wonderful people on it, have provided an incredible amount of support to thousands of people who have had bariatric surgery in Australia.

Over the last couple of years, despite my neglect, this forum has continued to survive thanks to the wonderful work of Nonny, Princess and luvmyband, who have kept this place going while I have ignored it, and left many aspects of this site to break down.

I can only apologise to them and to the rest of you for letting things get to this stage. To be completely honest, I have had a very difficult journey with my weight and my band journey, which made me feel like a failure and left me finding it difficult to come back here and stay involved. I regained most of the weight I lost with my lapband which had a big impact on my physical and mental health. It's not an excuse, simply an explanation, as I feel you all deserve it. I have been ignoring this place when really, I probably needed to get MORE involved so that I could be supported, just as you have supported so many others.

I will tell my own story at another time, but things are improving and my life is on the right track since having a band to sleeve conversion last year, and have since lost 40kg.

This has given me the strength to overcome my fear and come back here, to right the wrongs and get this place back up to scratch and turn it back into the thriving support community it once was. You're going to notice some changes over the next few weeks and months, but before I get too carried away, I want to ask for your help.

I want to hear any ideas, suggestions or gripes in this thread, so that together we can make this community the best place to get support for bariatric surgery for Australians. No idea is too big or too small. I have seen how little support many people receive post-op, and I want to help change that. I have a lot of ideas, and can't wait to make them happen, but I'm going to start with the changes you guys want, so I can make this a better place for you to be:

Thanks for reading, thanks for sticking around, and thank you all for the amazing support you have given to countless people over the years.